C-13-octanoic acid breath test for gastric emptying measurement

Objectives The purpose of this multicentre study was to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of the C-13-octanoic acid breath test compared to scin tigraphy for measurement of gastric emptying. Methods Sixty-nine healthy subjects (40 men, 29 women; mean age 30 years, r ange 21-61) were studied at least once by using the C-13-octanoic breath te st, In 34 healthy subjects, gastric emptying was simultaneously measured by gastric scintigraphy, and the C-13-octanoic breath test was then repeated in 18 of these cases, Fifty-four patients (30 men, 24 women; mean age 46 ye ars, range 13-74) with dyspeptic or reflux symptoms were studied according to the same procedure. Results The correlation between breath test and scintigraphic values was hi ghly significant(r = 0.744, P < 0.001), The concordance of results of scint igraphy and breath test (normal versus abnormal) and the reproducibility (B land and Altman method) of the breath test were good (CVinter = 24%, CVintr a = 15%). As compared to scintigraphy, breath test detected an abnormal gas tric emptying with 67% sensitivity and 80% specificity (ROC analysis). Conclusion These results confirm the value of breath test as an accurate me asurement of gastric emptying, Its excellent reproducibility makes it a met hod of choice for pharmacological studies. However, at least when scintigra phy is considered the gold standard, breath test sensitivity may be insuffi cient for the detection of gastroparesis in an individual patient. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.